MANCHESTER PHOENIX 11 - 2 SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS
Manchester Phoenix enjoyed a successful opening weekend to the new
EPL season as they notched up a 4 point weekend to sit atop of the EPL table,
after chalking up big wins over Telford and especially Sheffield.
Phoenix got their season underway in Telford Saturday night as they
came out the victors in a 5-1 win, with Czech duo Michal Psurny and Frankie
Bakrlik and Liam Chong all scoring within the space of 68 seconds as they blitzed
the Tigers. Phoenix 3rd Czech forward Robin Kovar got in on the act
too, as he scored a well took goal with Joe Graham finishing off the scoring to
get them off and running in the league campaign.
Sunday night saw the return of the Sheffield Steeldogs to
Altrincham for the 2nd Sunday in a row, the Yorkshire side were
minus a few personnel in the shape of Lewis Bell, Injured Defenceman Ben Morgan
and arguably the key man in the Sheffield line up Greg Wood. Wood was suspended
for the clash after he was given a game penalty for spearing a Bracknell Bees
player in their Saturday night game, in what was a very tough encounter between
the two physical sides in the league.
The game was far from the blood and guts meeting between the two
from last week`s War of the Roses double header, though that may have been due
to the game being officiated with the 4 officials for the game.
Both sides had chances early on, Sheffield had the best chance
when Andy Hirst broke away for the visitors after the Manchester defence committed
themselves to high up the ice.
But the chance was stopped by Steve Fone between the pipes for the
Phoenix as he turned away the opportunity for the Steeldogs. Manchester had a
few chances of their own, with a Bakrlik shot flashing across goal as the home
side looked to try and show that they meant business this weekend with more
practice under their belts than last weekend`s encounters.
Sheffield Player-coach Andre Payette said during preseason that
his side possessed "the Best Netminder, and best hockey team in the
league", well their defence was certainly showing they could defend, as
they had to with stand an onslaught of Phoenix attacks. Steeldogs were then in deep
trouble after a defenceman collided with his own netminder Dalibor Sedlar, when
the puck went across goals and the netminder was in pain from the incident.
Sedlar took a few minutes to try and stretch his groin as he had discomfort in that
area.
Sedlar played on for a few minutes before, being forced to retire
at the next whistle in play as he skated towards the bench to be replaced by 16
year old back up goalie ,Thomas Barkworth who came in between the pipes for the
Steeldogs at the 6:27 area.
The 16-yo goalie made a couple of good saves from the Phoenix
forwards as the youngster didn`t looked overawed by the occasion at first,
However it was always likely the inexperience of him would show eventully. The
home side broke the deadlock at 10-09 thanks to a rocket by Rob Schnabel from
the blue line as the puck flew pass the youngster for a 1-0 lead with Andy
McKinney and Richard Bentham getting assists on the goal.
Sheffield`s Craig Elliott then got penalised for Slashing at 14-35
and from that resulting power play, a breakaway by Phoenix saw Tony Hand pass
towards the slot and Robin Kovar coolly directed it pass Barkworth for a neat
finish making it 2-0 for the home side as we headed into the first intermission.
In the Second stanza, it was a goals overload for the home side as
they really peppered the young goalie with shots and some that weren`t. It took
just 1:12 into the period for the Phoenix to extend their lead to 3-1, when
Jack Watkins made a wraparound attempt on the Sheffield nets as he forced it
home to pick up his first goal in a
Phoenix Jersey at 21-12 with fellow Brit James Neil helping out on it.
Goal 4 soon followed, with Frantisek Bakrlik scoring from close
range with Steve Duncombe pushing the Phoenix player goal wards and helped the
Czech forward score his first of the game; Phoenix found then themselves on the
power play, when Steeldogs Player-coach Andre Payette was in the penalty box
for Slashing. Manchester made the most of the 2 minutes when they worked the
puck round between Michal Psurny & Phoenix player coach Tony Hand, with
the Scottish veteran forward finding Luke Boothroyd at the back post and the
Captain bided his time, before he put it past Barkworth for a 5-1 score at
29:14.
As a contest it was all over, but it was now whether Manchester
would hammer home their advantage or not.
Bakrlik hit one on the Steeldogs goal from just inside his own
half and wasn`t picked up by the poor young goalie Barkworth, as he lost sight
of it and the puck struck the bar which saw the goalie flinch, as the ping
reverberated round the rink.
Sheffield then pulled a goal back with a well worked goal with
Craig Elliott putting home the puck after Lee Haywood grabbed the puck doing
well to stop it going out for an offside on the Phoenix blue line, he then
passed to Greg Chambers who made a good pass across goal to Elliott who scored
at 35-13.
A minute later though, Bakrlik fired a blast from down the right
wing as he found the twine, to net Phoenix 6th goal of the game at 36-23 and
Sheffield were in disarray in defense now.
Two minutes later the Czech man again found the net from a tight
angle, to make it 7-2 with fellow countryman Michal Psurny assisting on the
goal along with defenseman Joe Graham.
In the 3rd and final period, the home side added
another score in the goals column when a shot from Macclesfield-native Ben Wood,
somehow found the net as he just threw it on target and the young goalie
Barkworth just couldn`t deal with it and it went in for an 8-2 score line at
41:43.
This then saw 2 goals in 11 second, firstly Edgars Bebris was put
in the box for a Boarding call on Liam Chong into the boards and then from that
resulting power play, Robert Schnabel launched another rocket from the blue
line as he made it 9-2 with Robin Kovar assisting on it.
Straight from the restart, Phoenix went right back up the Steeldogs
end and hit double figures as Andy McKinney roofed one high over the right
shoulder of Barkworth and the goalie was getting a serious welcoming to EPL
level.
That then seemed to then spark the Steeldogs in to their normal
overly-physical play which was mostly apparent from Andre Payette.
Payette attempted at try to get under the Phoenix players skins,
but unlike last weekend, this time it wasn`t working as no matter how much he
tried he got laughed at or had the Manchester players skate off to the bench
ignoring it.
During the next passage of play, Payette tried to engage James
Archer into the rough stuff, but the Sheffield-born forward resisted the advances
of Payette and he frustrated the player-coach of the Steeldogs, by refusing to
rise to the bait.
James Archer picked up 2 minutes for Roughing anyway along with Payette
who earned himself a 2+2 for Roughing.
Sheffield then used their other "enforcer" to try and start
a spark, in Callum Pattinson. Pattinson who was sporting a 'shiner' for his
trouble was due to a beating he received from Bracknell Bees player Chris
Wiggins in a fight the night before, but like Payette he couldn`t get anyone interested
either.
Luke Boothroyd then completed the rout for the home side, as on
the power play the Phoenix Captain put the puck home with an open net from
Kovar pass on the goal at 51:29, for the remaining minutes of the game both
sides seemed to settle down in the last 10 minutes and so Phoenix saw the game
out 11-2 grabbing an early 4 point weekend and seeing them sit proudly on top
of the English Premier League table after the opening round of games.
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